Events

The National Influenza Vaccination Week (NIVW) is a national awareness week focused on highlighting the importance of influenza vaccination.

CDC and its partners choose December for NIVW to remind people that even though the holiday season has begun, it is not too late to get a flu vaccine.

Flu isn’t a “bad cold” and can result in serious health complications, such as pneumonia, bacterial infections, and can lead to hospitalization. Flu can sometimes even lead to death.

People at high risk of serious flu complications include young children, pregnant women, people with certain chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes, heart disease or lung disease, and people 65 years and older.

Flu vaccine prevents millions of illnesses and flu-related doctor’s visits each year. For example, during 2016-2017, flu vaccination prevented an estimated 5.3 million influenza illnesses, 2.6 million influenza-associated medical visits, and 85,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations.

There are many reasons to get a flu vaccine. It can reduce your risk of flu and its potentially serious complications. It also can reduce the severity of your illness, even if you still get sick. However, flu vaccination isn’t just about keeping you healthy; it’s also about helping to protect everyone around you who may be vulnerable to becoming very sick from flu. 

Learn more: https://go.usa.gov/xPv2R